Now, when trying out new recipes, it is important to follow the instructions given. Avoid double guessing the author’s prowess. Chances are, they experimented many times before jotting down the recipe. I am usually very guilty of this bad habit and it costed me when making my Mahmari. How, you ask? Well, my kimbelembele told me to use double the yeast prescribed because I didn’t see how the amount given in the recipe would work. The results? My mahamri dough blew up and became all viscous. I however rectified this by adding more flour, kneading and leaving it to rise again (This set me back almost an hour)

I love playing around and giving my dough a thorough knead after it’s done rising. Such a stress reliever

Once your mahamri dough is all kneaded and risen; the hardest part is over. Clear you kitchen counter, dust your rolling pin and set to work. You can also use your Chapati board but it’s less cumbersome on the counter.

Using the Kitchen counter to roll out your dough is less hectic and faster IMO

First divide the dough into little balls. Now flatten out your balls using a well dusted rolling pin (same way you’d do with chapatti). Ensure that your disc isn’t too thick. Cut the rolled out mahamri circle into quarters. You can also try out different shapes; all in the spirit of adventure. Totally up to you!

Your mahamri is now ready for frying. The dark little thingies are Iliki (Cardamom) pieces.

Once you’re done with the rolling and cutting. It’s time to FRY!

Heat lots of oil in a deep pan (Karai) . Don’t be stingy. If you don’t have Karai, you can substitute with a medium sized Sufuria or non-stick pot. To test whether your oil is hot enough, dip a wooden spoon in there, once you see bubbles forming, you’re good to go.

Gently slide your Mahamri slices in there. Be careful not to burn yourself with oil splashes. We just want mahamri, not you getting scorched.

Just the right level of golden brown. To prevent your mahamris from getting burnt on the surface, ensure that you fry them on medium heat rather than high.

Splash hot oil on the top surface of the mahamri to help it rise evenly. Keep flipping the surfaces so that they can get evenly cooked. Once your mahamri are all golden brown, remove from the oil and place in a paper towel to drain excess oil. Swahili women usually use flour packets to achieve the same. You can try it too.

And we are done !

Your mahamris are now ready for the eating. Serve them with Tea, Mbaazi ya Nazi , Coffee or whatever it is you please. You made them , so you get to decide

I served mine with Mbaazi ya Nazi (Coconut Mbaazi) which I also cooked from scratch Recipe coming soon

About Canduh

If food were a person, I'd be happily married with 6 kids by now. Nothing excites me more than the experience of sampling food and trying out new recipes. A Foodie, Hobby Photographer and graduate Quantity Surveyor all rolled into one